Forget your idols

Just as inescapable as the saga of Panadda “Boom” Wongphudee has been these last few weeks, it has also become difficult to deny that many headline-making tales in Thailand have their roots in our tendency towards idolatry.

While not unique to Thai culture by any means, the disposition to heap an unrestrained amount of devotion on certain individuals definitely appears more pronounced. At the very least, there seems to be less discourse in the Thai language on the pitfalls of such veneration.

This is a country where the term “idol” is commonly attached to almost any popular figure, with little thought given to how such a designation could become precarious.

To recap the latest fallen idol tale, Ms Panadda was arrested on Friday and taken in for questioning on suspicion that she had defrauded the public by channelling donations made to her Goodness Foundation to personal investments, including land purchases and real estate development.

Her husband, Atip “Got” Anantawan, also surrendered to police to answer fraud and money-laundering charges arising from the case.

It was initially believed that the malfeasance may have taken place without Ms Panadda’s knowledge — she tearfully announced last month that she was divorcing her husband. But revelations in recent days have cast doubt on this possibility.

Authorities have so far frozen accounts containing a combined 102 million baht while they probe the accusations made against Ms Panadda and Mr Atip.

The matter has captured widespread attention because apart from being a former Miss Thailand and famed actress, Ms Panadda has been a prominent social activist for decades, using her celebrity to draw attention to a variety of causes.

Most recently, she personally took to heavily flooded communities in Bangkok to lead volunteers in distributing emergency supplies.

The flood-relief effort even featured friction with presumed representatives of the prime minister, with her team claiming they were ordered to wait for the arrival of The Leader before beginning with their handouts.

That, of course, only helped to strengthen the image of Ms Panadda as a righteous crusader working against physical and political obstacles to benefit the downtrodden.

Trust betrayed

Naturally, all of this has made what is now developing more than a simple issue of fraud and embezzlement. It has made it one of betrayal, a transgression against the trust placed in her by so many throughout the country.

But what was that trust really based on?

Yes, she has engaged in public service for years now and has genuinely improved people’s lives. That cannot be discounted.

But her initial capability to take on such tasks was surely attached to her celebrity and social standing.

Numerous charities and foundations for good deeds exist that do not garner the support of the one Ms Panadda represents.

An arguably significant portion of that support must be attributed to the adulation shown to her as a public figure.

If this observation appears unfounded or irrelevant, consider that much of the conversation in Thai reports has already turned to “which foundation will be discredited next”.

More importantly, attention has turned towards which organisation headed by which abundantly public personality will have its façade pulled away to reveal something shady.

One of the loudest voices against Ms Panadda these past weeks has been Boonyanuch “Oilsri” Saengsri. The operator of the Facebook page “Oilsri and Phong Phueak” has spearheaded the campaign to dismantle Ms Panadda’s image to reveal the fraud she believes is hidden within.

In speaking out against Ms Panadda, Ms Boonyanuch found herself at odds with another charitable foundation head, Sanchai Wanpirat of the Khon Tuen Tham Foundation, better known as the outspoken religious commentator Ajarn Beer.

Their interactions became heated enough that Ms Boonyanuch has threatened to “investigate” Mr Sanchai’s good works, insinuating that perhaps there would be evidence that would result in him sharing the same fate as the actress.

Effectively, she has threatened to harm Mr Sanchai’s good reputation, which would likely upend the work he has done both for charity and spiritual teaching.

The need for any organisation, charitable or otherwise, to have a public face is fundamental and universally practised. But the Thai public so often ties good deeds so closely to an individual that it allows for the entire enterprise to become compromised, no matter how worthy the work.

Good done in the name of a shamed idol becomes tainted. Followers who act on their admiration more than the intent of the action become vulnerable to being mobilised for wrongdoing. A society built around popularity becomes doomed to exploitation.

We let it happen

The case of Ms Panadda has yet to be concluded and she may be vindicated in the end. Many may see the episode as just another frivolous piece of tabloid fodder, and in many ways, it is. But the predilection in this country that allowed this situation to arise is the same that allows for religious perversion, political corruption and the stalled progress the nation has endured for generations.

That the Thai people cannot act without a charismatic magnet, or worse, that we are so ready to act upon the whims of a person simply because they are charismatic, is our greatest vulnerability.

Charity can be carried out without the direction of a thought leader. Decisions can be made without the need for admiration from an attractive face or prominent name. Detaching the individual from the deed allows for precaution and vetting. It maintains the integrity of both the action and the structure facilitating that action.

Idolisation is fine for teenage fans screaming at their favourite pop star from the front row, but it is a poor approach to social progress.